About Norbert
Bufka

Norbert Bufka was born and raised on a farm in northeastern
Cleveland Township in Leelanau County bordering the long defunct village of
Good Harbor.

Norbert attended Shetland School for kindergarten and then
went to Leland Public School for nine years. In tenth grade he enrolled at St.
Joseph’s Seminary in Grand Rapids from which he graduated in 1961 with two
years of college. While there he studied classical and koine Greek among other
subjects.He was assigned to Mt. St.
Mary’s Seminary of the West in Norwood Ohio for philosophy studies in
preparation for ordination to the Catholic priesthood. After one year there he
transferred to Aquinas College in Grand Rapids from which he graduated with a
BA in history.

After obtaining his teaching certificate, he taught high
school English and American history at Catholic Central High Schoolin Grand Rapids for one semester
before enrolling in graduate school at Illinois State University from which he
graduated with a MA in Latin. While there he met Carol Sue White whom he
married in August 1966 in Quincy Illinoi.

He taught Latin and American history for seven years at Bad
Axe High School before moving to Midland with his wife and daughter to become a
salesman for a startup company which failed. He then went into insurance sales
and financial services for over twenty years before changing careers again. He
studied theology in a distance learning program from Loyola University New
Orleans from which he received a master of Pastoral Studies degree.With this degree he obtained a position at
Assumption Parish in Midland where he ministered for nine years before retiring
in 2006.

The distance learning from Loyola (LIMEX) was a facilitated
program with videotaped lectures from the on-campus professor of the course. Norbert
was chosen to tbe the facilitator for the course
after the initial facilitator resigned. Norbert was in the unique position of
being a student and facilitator at the same time. It created some awkward
moments.After a week of facilitator
training at Loyola he facilitated another group of LIMEX students in Saginaw.

Norbert always loved writing and so began writing a monthly
op-ed column for the Midland Daily News
in 2003. After retirement, heself-published books.His
three primary interests are religion, history, and current events.